A British man was allegedly beaten up after helping attract customers to his Thai girlfriend’s pub.
Adam Daniel Shields, 39, said he was set upon as he waited for his partner Yupawadee Tiangtham, 32, to close her bar in Pattaya, in the early morning of February 26.
He told the police that three crazed Thai men pounced on him and repeatedly punched him as he cowered on the ground. The alleged attackers eventually relented and fled, leaving the Englishman with cuts and bruises on his head, face and a torn black T-shirt.
Adam said: ”I arrived on a motorcycle and the men attacked me straight away. I fell down and they were hitting me like boxing. There were three people.”
‘One of the attackers own a bar nearby…’
Yupawadee said she believed the attackers were angry because their custom has dropped since her boyfriend started helping her.
She said: “One of the attackers own a bar nearby and I bought mine from him. The place that I bought has many customers now because my boyfriend helps me talk to them, so his bar doesn’t have so many people.
“They are upset about this, but it’s wrong to attack us because customers have the right to decide which place they want to drink.”
‘This incident could only make things worse…’
Police said they had received a report about the attack and will question the suspects.
Police Lieutenant Chanikarn Puenpinit said the alleged attack could damage the image of tourism in the city, best known for its round-the-clock adult industry and as a safe-haven for foreign criminals.
She said: “Tourism here is now very slow due to the COVID-19 virus and this incident could only make things worse because the tourists will feel insecure.”
